Manufacture of tin plate



1963 R- R. SHEDD 3,101,767

MANUFACTURE OF TIN PLATE Filed June 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Electrolytic Flying Shear T/nning L ine IIVVE/VTO/P ROBERT R. .SHEDD A ffarn ey Aug. 27, 1963 R. R. SHEDD MANUFACTURE OF TIN PLATE Filed June 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,101,767 MANUFACTURE OF TIN PLATE Robert R. Shedd, Fairless Hills, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 4, 1959, Ser. No. 818,196 2 Claims. (Cl. 153--92) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for processing of relatively wide and thin metal strip and, more particularly, to the production of metal strip adapted to be subsequently coated with tin, zinc, aluminum or lead.

In the operation of electrolytic tinning lines, for example, vas practiced heretofore, it has been customary to level and flatten the product by passing it through a roller leveller as the last operation before shearing the strip into sheets. In cases where only relatively low speeds of strip travel were involved, i.e., under 750 f.p.m'., the smalldiameter leveller rolls (e.g., 2%." in diameter) which are necessary for good flattening, performed satisfactorily. The higher operating speeds of electrolytic tinning lines which are now common (up to 1500 zf.p.m.), however, made it necessary to use levellers with rolls of larger diameter (e.g., 3") despite their lesser effectiveness in flattening. In order to avoid the loss of flattening, it has been proposed to perform a preliminary levelling operation ahead of the shearing, using small diameter rolls,

with looping pits on both sides of the leveller, whereby the path of the material traversing it could be controlled by side guides. This produced satisfactory results where"- the strip was subjected to a second levelling before being 3,ll,767 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 generally at 11, then through a roller leveller 12 under constant tension by a drive bridle 13 or set of traction rolls drivenin any suitable manner. From the bridle 13, strip passes to a set of back-tensioning pinch rolls 14 and thence to a coiling reel of known construction (not shown). Leveller 12 is provided with entry and exit guide rolls 15 and 16. The details of construction of the leveller are shown in FIGURES 2 through 4.

As best shown in FIGURE 2', guide rolls 15 and 16 are journaled in housings '17 upstanding on opposite ends of a bed plate :18. Leveller 12 is disposed between housings 17 and is mounted on a base 19 fabricated by welding,

. from plate and structural members. Base 19 is elongated transversely of the direction of strip travel, to acleveller through the usual pinion stand 22 also mounted on the base. Base 19 has plane and V-block shoes 23 and 24 spaced along opposite sides thereof, respectively, which engage correspondingly shaped ways 25 and 26 carried by a sub-frame 27 secured to bed plate 18. Frame 27 is'also fabricated .from plate and structural members.

By the construction described, leveller 12 and its driving means are slid able laterally of the center line of strip travel, on both sides thereof, :as indicated by chain lines 28 in FIGURE 3. I provide power means for efiecting such movement, in the tom of a double-acting fluidpressure motor 29 mounted in a supporting frame 30 secured to plate 18, with a spacer block 31 between it and Tin-plate users are now ordering the material in coils I instead of sheets. Since tin plate in strip form must be coiled under tension, the expedient just explained may be resorted to only at the expense of coiling under constant tension as a separate operation, subsequent and in addition to the roller levelling. I have invented a method and apparatus whereby the strip may be given a preliminary orinitial levelling under tension and immediately coiled in final form of delivery to the user.

In a preferred practice and embodiment of the invention I provide a roller leveller in a tin plate or other coating line, ahead of the traction bridle ordinarily employed to pull the strip through the line under constant tension. I also make provision for moving the leveller laterally of the center of the line to conform to any tendency of the strip to weave from one side to the other because of camber therein or variations in thickness, hardness, etc. Thus, even though thest-rip is under constant tension and cannot be controlled by side guides, it is subjected to a flattening effect which is uniform across the entire width of the strip, producing a coiled strip of a high degree of flatness.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the =following detailed description and ex planation which refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment. In the draw- 1ngs:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic sectional along the center of a portion of an electrolytic tinmng line having the invention incorporated therein;

'FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the roller leveller shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of the leveller; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line IV-JV of FIGURE 3, with parts in elevation.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and, [for the present to FIGURE 1, low-carbon steel strip 10 preferframe 27. The piston rod of motor 29' is secured to base \19 by an anchor plate 32 (FIGURE 4).

Leveller 12 is of known construction in general and needs no detailed description but is provided with special means indicated at 33 for scanning an edge of a strip passing therethrough and controlling the admission 'of power fluid to one end of motor 29 and its release from the other, so as to keep the leveller approximately centered relative to the strip, despite weaving thereof from the normal center line because of camber and other tfiactors. Scanning means 33 is adjustable along ways 35. These ways are mounted on brackets 36 on the entry side of the base leveller is kept substantially centered relative to the strip,

despite weaving of the latter to one side or the other of its normal path because of camber, etc. vAs a result, it is feasible to make the length of rollers 21 but slightly greater than the maximum width of strip to be processed and this permits the use of small-diameter rollers, e.'g., 2 /z',', without excessive deflection. With rolls of this small diameter, better results are obtained in overall edge-to-edge working on highly tensioned strip at higher than normal speeds. Uniform levelling action across the width of the strip is assured because the strip is always engaged by the same portion of the-rollers, and the small diameter thereof results in better levelling action, removing defective conditions such as diagonal and cross corrugations.

Although I have disclosed herein the preferred embodiment of my invention as utilized in conjunction with a tinning line for example only, I intend to'cover as well any change ormodification therein which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the in vention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for making metal strip comprising, in combination, a unit effective to apply a surface treatment continuously to strip passing therethrough, traction means spaced from the delivery end thereof for pulling strip continuously through said unit under constant tension, at i roller leveller located between said end and said means, effective to flatten the strip while under said tension, means mounting said leveller for movement transversely of the path of the strip, and means responsive to sidewise shifting of an edge of said strip for moving the leve ller whereby to maintain it approximately centered relative to the strip despite lateral weaving thereof.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized by said mounting means including a base on which said 15 leveller is mounted, a sub-frame supporting said base and Ways on said sub-frame guiding movement of the base.

References fiited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 202,027 Harvey Apr. 2, 1878 1,911,321 Long May 30, 1933 2,008,626 Murakarni July 16, 1935 2,228,257 Collins Jan. 14, 1941 2,439,858 Muddirnan et al. Apr. 20, 1948 2,454,935 Miller Nov. 30, 1948 2,733,750 Todd Feb. 7, 1956 2,797,476 Sendzimir July 2, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES Metals Handbook 1948 Edition, American Society for Metals, page 355 relied on. 

1. APPARATUS FOR MAKING METAL STRIP COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A UNIT EFFECTIVE TO APPLY A SURFACE TREATMENT CONTINUOUSLY TO STRIP PASSING THERETHROUGH, TRACTION MEANS SPACED FROM THE DELIVERY END THEREOF FOR PULLING STRIP CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH SAID UNIT UNDER CONSTANT TENSION, A ROLLER LEVELLER LOCATED BETWEEN SAID END AND SAID MEANS, EFFECTIVE TO FLATTEN THE STRIP WHILE UNDER SAID TENSION, MEANS MOUNTING SAID LEVELLER FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY OF THE PATH OF THE STRIP, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SIDEWISE SHIFTING OF AN EDGE OF SAID STRIP FOR MOVING THE LEVELLER WHEREBY TO MAINTAIN IT APPROXIMATELY CENTERED RELATIVE TO THE STRIP DESPITE LATERAL WEAVING THEREOF. 